Pizza Hut to Open 100 More UK Stores And Create up to 2,000 Jobs

Company's long-term plan is to open 700 outlets across country

Pizza Hut Delivery is spending £20m to open 100 more stores in the UK by 2014, creating up to 2,000 jobs to help boost the employment rate in the country.

The company, a subsidiary of US food giant Yum Brands, has 300 franchise and company-owned stores in England, Wales and Scotland.

The "aggressive expansion plan" includes a new incentive scheme for franchise stores. Both existing and new franchisees would receive up to £65,000 from the company for opening a new store by 30 November 2013, subject to terms and conditions.

"We are committed to delivering a major investment in growing our UK system, creating significant new opportunities for existing and would-be franchisees," BBC News quoted company spokesman Mark Fox as saying.

Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands is also targeting to enlarge its global presence in line with the expansion plans of its rivals including McDonald's, Subway, Papa John's International and Starbucks.

The food business, which also owns brands including KFC, Taco Bell and Yum! China, earlier said that it is planning to open more Pizza Huts in China. The company is targeting China's smaller cities, where it has better returns due to lower costs.

On 14 December, Yum is expected to open its first KFC restaurant in Ukraine, where its rival McDonald has 74 restaurants. In an attempt to access Ukraine's 46 million consumers, it plans to open more than 100 KFC restaurants at a cost of $2m each within five years.